Brotherly love, unleashed
by Elenhin
Summary: . Mike is in charge of Anders for the day, and keeping track of his brother is not an easy task, but Mike being a good big brother, really, do the best he can, even if his method is a wee bit unusual.


_**Author's Note:**_This is a one shot from the Almighty Johnsons. Mike is in charge of Anders for the day, and keeping track of his brother is not an easy task, but Mike being a good big brother, really, do the best he can, even if his method is a wee bit unusual.

_**Warning: **__The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen._

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Almighty Johnsons, nor any other stray Norse Gods found in said show. Anders assures me that in spite of popular belief he is not a dwarf, though my three inch high Fili and Kili does not quite appear to agree with him. Anders is also under protection of Kili and no permanent harm will come to him in my fanfic stories.

**_Brotherly love, unleashed_**

"Mike, I want you to watch your brother very carefully now," their mother said and Mike sighed. Normally he wouldn't be so disrespectful, but it was getting annoying. She had told him so many times already and he was not happy about having to do it from the start. Watching Anders could be really difficult, especially when he was in a mood and he always was. Anders generally had two moods, cranky and happy. When he was cranky he was constantly whining, complaining and throwing tantrums. Then he dragged his feet after him as he walked, and refused to eat anything that was put in front of him because he always wanted something else. When he was happy he was running around like crazy and anytime he saw something he'd take off that way. He'd cling to Mike's arm and skip beside him, chattering an endless stream of nonsense and beg for ice cream.

"Why do I have to watch him?" he pouted.

"We've been over this Mike, I need a break, I need to have a few minutes to myself and it's enough I have Ty with me." She gave him a firm look, "And I already gave you some money so you two can both get an ice cream and buy a small something for yourself. Now, that should be more than enough don't you think?"

"Well, yeah, but he's so annoying," he complained. While they talked Anders had already started getting up to things. He was currently climbing up on a bench only to jump down with a giggle and their mother turned around.

"Anders, come here this instant!" she snapped and Anders looked up with an almost worried look on his face as he came over. His thumb crept to his mouth for a moment before he pulled it back out and stood himself beside Mike.

"Now, I will meet you here at three," she told them. "And I want you to do what Mike tells you Anders, I don't want to hear about you not having behaved yourself, do you understand."

"Uhu," the blonde child bobbed his head up and down.

Mike grabbed a hold of his shirt and Anders smiled at him. It wasn't such a long time since Anders had gotten himself lost in the same mall they were in now. He'd been found by the fishpond after many hours and for some time after their mum had not allowed neither him nor Ty out of her sight but by now the weariness and fatigue was foremost on her mind again. She needed to be free from whining children for just a few hours and Mike was old enough to watch Anders.

"Good, now behave yourself," hefting Ty on her hip she turned around to find something nice to do for herself for the short time she had to that purpose.

Anders turned big blue eyes up at Mike who rolled his own, groaning to himself. It was not going to be a fun day he was sure of it.

"Come on," letting go of his shirt he took off down the corridor, there was an arcade there and he'd brought some of his money along in addition to what their mother had given him for the two of them to spend.

They had only gotten a few yards before Anders spotted something and tried to take off. Mike hurried after him and caught up to him as he pressed his nose to the window glass of a shop.

"Yummy," the blond declared as he sniffed the air. Mike could tell it was a tea shop and had to admit the fragrance was nice but he was not of a mind to take Anders into it. Instead he dragged him off again, only to find that he had stopped two stores down the corridor to gaze up at a pair of well shaped mannequins wearing bikinis. He stood with a quizzical look on his face.

"Come on!" Mike growled. He was glad that Anders was in a good mood today, but just the same it could be so very annoying.

"I wanna go see the fishes Mike," Anders pleaded. "You said we could."

"We will later I said," Mike insisted.

"Oh, look," Anders gave a squeal and clapped his hands together before running off. Mike groaned as he hurried after. He didn't know what his brother had spotted for the blonde ran straight into someone who turned around with a frown as Anders fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry, he gets so excited," Mike apologized as Anders stood up and brushed off his knees.

"Sorry," the blonde turned a shy and apologetic smile up at the man who shrugged.

"You shouldn't run in here," he cautioned before he walked off.

"There, look what you did," Mike scowled. "Now, stop running and do what I tell you to."

"Okay," Anders bobbed his head up and down in that way that meant absolutely nothing Mike knew. When they walked past a pet store it was the same thing again and Mike decided that enough was enough. Spotting a sale bin outside the store, a few items going for as little as a dollar he picked one of them up and headed into the store. It would be worth a dollar if he didn't have to spend the rest of the time running after Anders. At least he did not have to worry about him running off as he made the purchase, there had been a cage of white mice in the window and Anders wasn't likely to leave until he was literally dragged away.

Anders loved animals and constantly begged for them to get a pet but so far mum had refused and Mike agreed with her. Taking care of Anders and Ty was quite enough. He didn't want to have to walk a dog or feed a pet as well.

When he got back out he attached the clip to the belt loop of Anders small jeans, his brother did not even notice.

"Come on now," he urged, giving a light tug.

"I wanna stay," Anders pouted.

"If you stay, you won't get to see the fishes," Mike stated and Anders' head snapped up.

"Fishy!" with a squeal he took off, only to come to an abrupt stop and sit down hard on the floor as the leash ran out.

"Mike?" he turned around even as he still sat on the floor, giving his brother a confused look. Mike had bought a dog leash in the store and attached it to his jeans. Now Anders gave it a light tug, experimentally. He tried to turn his head to see where it was attached but wound up spinning in a circle as he couldn't quite turn his head that far. Chewing his bottom lip he stood up and turned to face his brother.

"I told you not to run off, do you want to get lost again?" Mike demanded.

"No, not fun," Anders shook his head and gave a small sniff as he remembered how scared he had been the whole time. Pressing up against his big brother he wrapped his arms around him for a moment. "You're not gonna lose me, are you Mike? I don't wanna be lost. You will take me home again, please?"

"Of course you idiot," he gave him a light slap over the back of his head with a snort. Not hard enough to hurt, just hard enough to make Anders stop clinging to him like a baby. "That's what I'm doing now. You keep running off, and I know you don't mean to. But if you can't remember not to, I gotta make sure you don't, don't I?"

"Yeah," again Anders bobbed his head up and down so his locks danced. "Thank you Mike," again he threw his arms around him and Mike groaned. It was hard to look grown up when your brother kept being silly and hugging you at every turn.

Some of the adults gave them funny looks, and he heard some mutter annoyed under their breaths, but it did make it easier to keep track of Anders. The leash pulled him up so that he couldn't get too far, and the few times it made him fall he only stood and brushed himself off.

In the arcade he looped the leash around his wrist while he played, and Anders pouted a little but was almost content to watch Mike. He did get a bit bored but Mike allowed him to take a couple of turns on one of the games even though he didn't stand a chance and it made him happy enough. Then suddenly he started pulling on the leash.

"Mike, look," he pointed to one of the machines. Mike knew the kind well enough. A grappling hook and a bunch of stuff. You needed to grab something with the hook and drop it into the slot, and it was almost impossible. He had been successful with it a couple of times though. Anders was pulling harder, trying to get over there so Mike followed.

"The evil witch has trapped them," Anders declared with a slight lisp, sounding quite sincere and frightened even. "You gotta get them out Mike, save them!"

Well used to his brothers' vivid imagination Mike wasn't surprised to be told about witches in an arcade game. Anders had been looking at them and made up the game in his head.

"Okay, we'll try," he decided. It was a nice challenge. He enjoyed a good challenge and Anders had behaved himself better than he had expected. Dropping his coin in he grasped the control and steered for the best target, the hooks getting a good grip though Anders squealed beside him about not hurting the creature. He dropped it into the slot and Anders dove for it, trying to fish it out. Since he was so short he couldn't reach so Mike got it out and handed it to him. Anders hugging the stuffed dog to his chest.

"You saved him Mike!" he cried, once more drawing others too look at them. Mike didn't much care for the attention, but some older youths grinned as they watched Anders assure the stuffed dog that he was now safe from the evil witch and would have a much better home with them. Mike quickly steered him away before he could insist on rescuing the other animals as well. If he turned around and saw them he would, but so far his memory only went as far as he could see.

He had used his share of the money in the arcade, and though Anders now had the dog he had promised him he'd take him to a toy store to spend his share. Now with the stuffed dog in his arms and the leash still attached it was easy to get him to go along though it took him a while to make up his mind in the toy store. Finally he settled on a kaleidoscope after he saw the way the colours swirled and changed inside it.

That having been one of the cheaper toys Mike decided to spend a little more on his ice cream. He bought Anders one of the more fancier ones, and made him put the dog on the table where it would be safe from chocolate sauce. Once they had eaten he took him to the pond to see the fishes where Anders settled to watch them with perfect attention.

Just before they met up with their mother again he also unhooked the leash from his jeans, and on the spur of the moment attached it to the collar of the stuffed dog instead. Anders was thrilled, and it meant his mother wouldn't scold him for what he had done. He knew it hadn't been entirely nice, he was perfectly aware of that even if Anders wasn't. The thing was he loved his brother, even when he was annoying he loved him and he was scared of losing him again.

If keeping Anders safe meant he had to keep him on a leash he was ready to do that, he just wasn't sure if his mother would understand that.

It was a good thing that Anders did.

**The End**

_Please review, the Cricket is hungry…_


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